10-Minute Healthy Peanut Raisin Bar

Know What You Eat:

Your Heart Will Go Nuts for Peanuts:  Heart-healthy Mediterranean diet Peanuts are very good source of mono unsaturated fat, in addition to their monounsaturated fat content, peanuts feature an array of other nutrients that, in numerous studies, have been shown to promote heart health. Peanuts are good sources of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese. Health Study that involved over 86,000 women, have found that frequent nut consumption is related to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Eating peanuts just 2 or more times each week was associated with a 58% lowered risk of colon cancer in women and a 27% lowered risk in men. In Addition to it, It also help Prevent Gallstones, Protect against Alzheimer's and Age-related Cognitive Decline. It ofcourse is a high cal food, but look at other innumerours benefits..

Raisins: Antioxidant Protection from Phenols The total antioxidant activity of many fruits and vegetables has been found to be exactly parallel to their total phenol content, and raisins take their place in this list right alongside prunes and apricots as an antioxidant-rich fruit. 

Boron for Better Bone Health:  Boron is a mineral that is critical to our health, and has been of special interest in women in relationship to bone health and osteoporosis (bone softening). It is a trace mineral required to convert estrogen and vitamin D to their most active forms. Estrogen levels drop after menopause causing osteoclasts to become more sensitive to parathyroid hormone, which signals them to break down bone. Studies have shown that boron provides protection against osteoporosis and reproduces many of the positive effects of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women. Raisins are among the top 50 contributors to total dietary boron in the U.S. diet. 

Try this great energy boosting snack any time of day. And it only takes 10 minutes to prepare. Enjoy!

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Makes 8-12 bars

Ingredients:

1 C raw or roasted peanuts
1 C Raisins,preferably black
1/2 C raw or roasted split gram (dalia dal)
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger OR
1 tsp Dry Ginger Powder* and
1 tsp Pipramool powder*  (A root of long Pepper (A close relative of black pepper) optional
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, preferably black
2 Tbsp honey


Directions:

1.  Grind all ingredients, except for the honey, in a food processor until fairly fine but still having some texture (you don't want it to have the consistency of peanut butter).
2.  Add honey and process just long enough for it to blend in.
3.  Press into a square about 3/4-inch thick on a plate or square pan and refrigerate for about an hour or more.
4.  Cut into 2-inch squares and enjoy this guilt free snack.

*Pipramool Powder: A root of long Pepper (A close relative of black pepper) One of the wonderful, warming roots is used in cold conditions, such as osteoarthritis. It also finds use for anorexia, constipation, anemia, body ache, coughing and breathing problems, pharyngitis and vertigo.

*Dry Ginger Powder: (Zingiber officinale) Ginger is used in Asian medicine to treat stomachaches, nausea, and diarrhea. Many digestive, antinausea, and cold and flu dietary supplements sold in the United States contain ginger extract as an ingredient. It has been used for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and joint and muscle pain.

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Almond Cashew Brittle(Vegan)

Know what you Eat – Deepavali the festival of light is synonymous to sweets and celebration. But not all sweets are sinful this brittle made with toasted Almonds and cashews and made with Jaggery(Panela) not only tastes great, easy to make and very easy on your waist line.
Almonds which is high in monounsaturated fats, that is good for the body and is associated with reduced risk of heart disease. In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, Magnesium and Potassium. Not only do cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts, approximately 75% of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, plus about 75% of this unsaturated fatty acid content is oleic acid, the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil.  This nut is also rich in magnesium. Magnesium plays a very important role in controlling blood pressure and heart health. Jaggery (Panela) is a "natural" sweetener made by the concentration of sugarcane juice WITHOUT the use of any chemicals / synthetic additives or preservatives. It contains an enormous wealth of minerals / protein / vitamins and iron.

Ingredients

Almonds – 2 cups
Cashew – 1 cup
Jaggery(Panela) – 1 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder – pinch
Ghee or Coconut oil for greasing the tray
Water just enough to cover the surface of the jaggery

Method

1) In a toaster oven toast the almonds for 5-8 minutes stirring in between till they are crisp. Pay attention or they will brown or black quickly.
2) Toast the Cashews for 3-5 minutes stirring in between.
3) Once the Almond is cool enough to handle, chop them into small pieces and mix them with the cashew and keep it aside.
4) Now heat a pan add the jaggery and just enough water to cover it. Once the jaggery is completely dissolved, start stirring and heat it till the jaggery becomes thick and if you pour the dissolved jaggery with your spoon you will see threads coming out of it.
4) At this point switch of the stove and add the cardamom powder, the mixed nuts and  stir fast so that the nuts are evenly coated with the jaggery.
5) Immediately transfer the contents to a big greased tray and using a spatula even the surface out. Keep it aside for 5 minutes, once it is slightly cool, cut them into pieces and enjoy. Enjoy these guilt free snacks.



Event Participation:


Diwali Dhamaka 09 going on in Purva's Daawat
Sweet- Series in Mom's recipes hosted by Sireesha

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Vegan Fruit & Nut Cake/Bar

Know what you Eat - Eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain and possibly promote weight loss. The fat, protein and fiber in nuts help you feel full longer, so you may eat less during the day. By helping induce a feeling of satiety, nuts may help people feel less deprived and not like they're "dieting." Dates are a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health. Raisins are rich in phytonutrient phenol which is an antioxidant and also a trace mineral, boron, a mineral that is critical to bone health. Apricots contain nutrients such as Vitamin A that promote good vision.

Eggless Cooking has so many wonderful recipes to be tried out. This one fit my bill with very less flour and lot of nutrients coming from the nuts. Madhu's recipe uses buttermilk and i wanted to fortify it some more and used the omega 3 rich Chia seeds as the egg substitute.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Raw Sugar - 1/2 cup
Dried fruits(Dates, Raisins and apricots chopped) - 2 cups (The original recipe uses 3 cups)
Nuts chopped - 3 cups(Any nuts i used Almonds, Cashew, Pecan and Walnut)
Chia Seeds - 3 Tbsp(Instead of 3/4th cup buttermilk)
Water - 1 Cup + 1 Tbsp
Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

Method

1) Soak Chia in 9 Tbsps water.
2) Preheat the oven at 350F.
3) In a large bowl whisk together whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and raw sugar.
4) Now add the chopped dried fruits and nuts of your choice and mix thoroughly using your fingers to remove any lumps.
5) Take the chia gel and transfer it into a blender add the remaining water little by little and blend nicely to create a slurry. Now the slurry will be in white color. Now addvanilla extract and whisk it nicely.
6) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix it well.
7) Spread the batter into a 13×9 inch pan lined with parchment paper.
8) Bake it for 30-40 minuter till a knife inserted in center of the cake comes out clean.
9) Once out of the oven, leave the pan on a wire rack and let it cool completely before cutting into pieces.
10) Slice them into smaller pieces for portion control and enjoy as a guilt free snack.

Event Participation

1) This dish goes to T & T hosted by Poornima originated by Zlamin.

2) This goes to Food for Seven Stages of Life - Pregnancy(Zero Hour) hosted by Radhika.

3) This dish a sure kid pleaser goes to Kids Delight hosted by Srivalli.

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No bake Healthy Granola Bars

Know what you Eat - Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Now, the latest research suggests they may have another cardio-protective mechanism. Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Almonds the health nuts - 90 percent of the fats in almonds are unsaturated, and the nuts are high in protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, and other antioxidants. Almonds help prevent osteoporosis and they regulate blood pressure. Chia(The Magic Seeds) - The chia seeds may have great benefits for diabetics so they are considered as magic seeds. Eating the seeds helps dieters by making them feel fuller faster so they will be less hungry.

I just love granola bars, but the store bought ones are too sugary and lot of additives like partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup etc. I have made several attempts to bake one very unsuccessfully. The sides will be burned and the inside will be fine and i will end up eating the burned sides, because there will be no takers and i won't feel like throwing so much hand baked in the trash. This recipe does work and make sure the peanut butter is creamy and not solid and lumpy.
Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 5 mins
Serves - Around 20 bars


Ingredients

Oats (Old fashioned or Rolled Oats with extra thickness) - 1 cup
Oats Quick Cooking(Not instant) - 1 cup
Peanut Butter - 1 1/2 cups(Unsalted & new with a creamy texture)
Whole Almonds(not silvered) - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Chia seeds - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1/2 cup
Dates - 1/4 cup(Chop them finely)
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Oil(Sunflower or Canola) - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Dry roast Oats both old fashioned and quick cooking separately (do not mix them) in stove top till the raw smell is gone.
2) Dry roast grated coconut, chia seeds and almonds till it slightly browns(make sure they don't become black and slightly brown) or in a preheated oven bake combine the old fashioned oats, chia seeds, coconut, almond for, 350 degrees 7-10 minutes stirring in between till they are roasted and the quick cooking oats 3 minutes till the raw smell is gone.
3) Grind the quick cooking oats to a coarse powder.
4) Crush the almonds into small pieces. (Wrap them in paper towel and use a pounder or put them in plastic zip loc and use a thick bottomed pan to crush it).
5) Combine Oats, Oats powder, Almonds, Chia, Coconut, Dates and Raisins and keep it ready.
6) Combine honey, oil and peanut butter in a pan, add salt and cinnamon powder and heatit till the peanut butter melts and everything is well combined.
7) Now transfer the Oats mixture to the above and switch off the stove.
8) Mix everything thoroughly and transfer the contents to a greased pan and use a spatula to even it out.
9) Now put it in the refrigerator and leave it for 2-3 hours, once the bars are well set, take it out and make bars with a knife and store in a airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy these bars as a quick breakfast on any busy day or as a guilt free snack anytime of the day.

Event Participation
This dish goes to Show me your Breakfast event hosted by Divya Vikram.
This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up Event hosted by Lorie.



Sending this to Food for 7 Stages of Life - Healthy Fast Food hosted by Radhika and Sudeshna.

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